Saturday, December 26, 2015

Be Extremely Alarmed!

Let's EMULATE the 480 exemplary members of "The Association of Chinese American Professors and Scientists (ACAPS)," Univ. of Maryland.

Critical battles must be won mainly by our own

efforts. No battle is more critical than opposing profiling against us by race and national origin for national security reasons. The next step will be internment.

If we allow this type of profiling, then higher barriers against our college applicants and glass ceilings against our adults become logical components of the same race policy.

Every Chinese-Am who wants to avoid this fate needs to send a letter to Attorney General Lynch to request an independent investigation of the wrongful prosecution of Dr. Sherry Chen, XianoxingXi and others. Be sure to copy in Pres. Obama, and your own state's entire congressional delegation. Click here to find their mailing addresses.

The more important part is the number of signers. Spend your time organizing, the larger the number of people who will sign your letter, the more effective our COMBINED voices will be. When the number is large enough, DOJ will listen. Frankly, DOJ is not likely to read your letter, but it will count the number of persons who have signed such letters.

If you are sending a letter from an established group (e.g., ACAPS of MD)all you need to do is state the number of members in your group. If you are forming an ad hoc group, then you need to list their names, perhaps even include their respective titles but please clarify that titles are used for identification purpose only.

Don't be timid. Use the holiday parties that you'll be attending to organize! We can't afford to lose this critical battle.

As soon as YOU decide to organize and send a letter in your locality or state, let me know. 80-20 may be able to help you form a core group in your area, using its membership and donor lists.

DOJ Will Respond or

Face Stronger Actions from Us

If DOJ doesn't respond, 80-20 will take stronger actions. Examples include the following: demonstrate in front of DOJ in which I'll personally participate. Write Pres. Obama and DNC stating our disappointment with DOJ and that we will count it against the Democrats in the 2016 election. We may also call for scientists to boycott national security related projects or working in the national labs. The senators and congresspersons who have written DOJ are already pressing for answers from DOJ.

In contrast, Chinese-/Asian-Americans (except for 80-20 Initiative and Asian American Congresspersons) have been quiet. Are we too timid to speak up for ourselves?

GREAT NEWS

Hurrah! There has been a refreshing beginning.

About 480 members of the Association of Chinese American Professors and Scientists(ACAPS) at University of Maryland voted unanimously to send a reasoned and powerful letter. Click here to see their letter to Attorney General Lynch requesting an independent investigation of those wrongful prosecutions.

They also showed deep patriotism by stating what could be news to the ignorant bureaucrats in DOJ but is true -- Chinese Americans "account for a large percentage of scientists and engineers across major research universities, national labs, and other research institutions. . . ."

"We are certain that if the current practice of unlawfully targeting of Chinese-American professors and scientists continues, many Chinese- and other Asian-Americans will avoid working in technical areas that are vital to the success of this country's civilian and military industries, which will surely undermine this country's competitiveness in the long run."

80-20 wants to particularly salute Prof. Zhi-Long Chen, a member of 80-20's Board of Donors and a member of the ACAPS, who spearheaded this letter.

Why Have Chinese-/Asian- Ams Been So Quiet?

I have been mystified by our silence. That past pattern of wrongful prosecutions without subsequent apologies and compensation could happen to any of us. Don't we want to stop it? The damaging effect reverberated even after the charges were dropped. For example, Dr. Sherry Chen's boss still wants to fire her.

Is the long-term damage to America's competitiveness, mentioned by the noble 480 at the Univ. of MD, obvious to all of us as well? Don't we care about America?

Are we afraid, because the FBI is involved? Why? I am not afraid of the FBI at all because I trust the American government. People who work for FBI are public servants. If we think that FBI agents can willfully and legally step on our rights, then we have a gross misunderstanding of our government.

Let's Spread the Word & Empower Ourselves

It is true that government can make mistakes. There are always bureaucrats who are over-eager to please the White House at the expense of our laws. If we suspect that they are profiling us racially and by national origin, then we must speak up. Forward this to your friends so that more of us will speak up for our rights. Don't be such timid souls.

Friday, December 18, 2015

THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO DONATED TO SELF, 80-20 is better able to implement steps to help make our AsAm community stronger politically.

Last week, we presented "3 Easy Ways" to infuse political knowledge. In the next few months, 80-20 will work on a concrete program to help Chinese Am. scientists seemingly targeted by the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) because of their race and national origin.

A Concrete Program With a Heart

80-20 Educational Foundation (EF) will hold a dinner honoring Peter Zeidenberg, the lawyer who so capably defended both Drs. Sherry Chen and Xianxing Xi. Money raised from that event will help relieve the huge legal debts of the victims.

Why Is Peter Zeidenberg Being Honored?

First, he induced DOJ to drop espionage charges against 2 Chinese Am scientists just before their trials. Second, he exposed that DOJ was either not living up to the "due diligence" obligation, or intentionally creating a chilling effect to intimidate all Chinese Ams. Note that Pres. Obama's order to "aggressively investigate and prosecute those who steal national secrets" was only designed to achieve a chilling effect on "the bad guys only." Earlier, DOJ also dropped the cases against 2 Eli Lily scientists just before their trials. This pattern is truly disturbing.

Why Help Raise $18,000 for Dr. Chen?

Dr. Chen suffered irreparable damage to her reputation when her "espionage" charges were reported nationally. Even today, she may still lose her job. She borrowed to pay her legal fees. She still owes Zeidenberg $18,000. So we want to help Dr. Chen with her debts and Peter Zeidenberg receive his well-deserved pay. How about Dr. Xi? 80-20 will continue to consider his needs.

Is there a Higher & Nobler Purpose in Holding this Event?

Of course. Chinese Ams need to build a united cohesive community quickly while there is time. Look at the Muslin community in the U.S. I bet most innocent Muslins in the US are regretting now - their earlier unwillingness to give a little time and money to help build a strong national organization to protect themselves.

Monday, December 14, 2015

In the U.S., taking part in partisan elections is political. Non-profit organizations are not permitted to engage in it. Otherwise, their non-profit status will be taken away. Lobbying in the legislative process may, at times, be considered political.

In contrast, taking a position on an issue which involves government or government officials is NOT AT ALL political. It is just conversations between citizens and the US government. Even when we have criticized the government or officials wrongly, we are protected by the 1st amendment, freedom of speech, unless we knowingly and maliciously push wrong information.

There are so many AsAms Ph.Ds, professors, Chinese school principals and teachers, heads of professional organizations, and other nonprofit orgs. which don't understand the U.S definition of "political". They refrained themselves from expressing their view on the apparent profiling of Chinese Ams by the Dept. of Justice because of their misunderstanding.

THEY ARE SO WRONG!!!!

Instead of being a powerful educated voice for our community to fight for our rights, they silenced themselves because of their ignorance. That is why "knowing the meaning of political" is the 1st of the 3 EASY WAYS to strengthen ourselves.

(2) Be less timid. Think more for our children's future instead of our temporary & small gains and losses.

(3) Understand the importance of elections to us, and make use of them.

Candidates seeking votes are encouraged by US political parties to make promises. After all, finding out what people want is one important reason to hold elections. Hence, every election, especially the presidential elections, is AsAms' golden opportunity to chip away at our current UN-equal status.

How to get the promises? How to get the politicians to fulfill the promises to us after they are elected? Very complicated. Best leave it to the professionals, IF we are lucky enough to have such a group who are dedicated to our rightful interests.

In essence, a swing bloc vote is the best inducement to get the promises, because it rewards the candidates most richly or punishes them the most severely. That is what 80-20 has always advocated - a swing bloc vote - in order to induce both major political parties to compete to serve our interests.

Who knows what questions to ask?Who can deliver a "swing bloc vote"? Think about it. Who else but 80-20 has the ability & experience?

Click here to see 80-20 PAC's track record in this complex, nerve-wrecking political process.

Do your friends understand the U.S. definition of "political", and the importance of every election to us who are NOT yet equal citizens? Why notforward this e-newsletter to them for their comments?

Thursday, December 10, 2015

NY Times's "Donald Trump Deflects Withering Fire on Muslim Plan" article reported: "Repudiated across much of the political spectrum but defended on conservative talk radio, Donald J. Trumpon Tuesday stood by his call to block all Muslims from entering the United States. He cast it as a temporary move in response to terrorism and

invoked President Franklin D. Roosevelt's authorizationof the detention of Japanese . . . during World War II as precedent."

Is internment still impossible, IF Mr. Trump is elected and IF, God forbid, the US-China relationship turns into a military conflict?

What could be the remedy?

Support 80-20. It is the ONLY Asian Am. organization that has the clout, the resources and the political knowledge to affect the outcome of the next presidential election through the primary elections in both parties and the general election.

The next Supreme Court decision on College admissions?

The "Fisher vs. Univ. of Texas" was heard by the Supreme Court again yesterday. 80-20's DC chapter, working with Mr. Ed. Blum, Ms. Fisher and Asian American Coalition for Education, turned out in force and spoke out for Asian Americans.

We thank Chenming (the one in the middle), 80-20 D.C. chapter members and all others who helped make AsAm voices heard before the Supreme Court. Additional good news: the last time the Supreme Court heard this case, a few "AsAm" orgs. were there to SUPPORT "racial preference" in college admissions. This time they didn't show. Why? They are disappearing from our community, after 80-20 pointed out their shameful deeds. Our community rightfully rejected these organizations.

"By the end of the unusually long and tense argument, Justice Kennedy indicated that the Supreme Court might have all the evidence needed to decide the case. That could mean that the Texas admissions plan is in peril and that affirmative action at colleges and universities around the nation may be in trouble as well."

Be Confident In our Own Strengths

People used to say that if the IVY schools believe in "racial preference" in college admissions, then Asian Ams can't do a thing to change it. Is it really true, if we are under good leadership?

By the same token, we can use the existing presidential primary election system to help select the right presidential candidate, under 80-20's leadership. We can also stop Department of Justice's wrongful prosecutions of us, apparently based on racial and national origin profiling. Believe in ourselves.